Why, Magic
by Morgan P. Harder
Summary: Chakra is in everything in the world. It is in the laughing brook, the flickering candle, the aged parchment. Most of all, it is within the hearts of humanity. It is the fire that gives motion to existence. Ninja channel their soul, their inner chakra. The Great Toad Sage moulds the chakra of the world around him. And within these pages, a boy learns to call it forth from nothing.
1. Potential

**Chapter 1: Potential**

Kakashi observed his new genin. Potential new genin, he corrected himself. After all, there was no guarantee that they would pass his test. Sure the civilian council wanted him to pass them. But he was a ninja, one of the best in Konoha, and he didn't have to give a shit what they wanted. Still, they at least had potential. Well, sensei's son and the Uchiha had potential. The civilian was… fairly hit or miss. He didn't blame her, but she was working with a disadvantage.

The jonin considered the bells in his pocket. He had planned on doing the bell test, but that wouldn't really be fair to them. He had spent enough time with Uchiha and he knew how standoffish they could be. And to fail the civilian and sensei's son because of a moody Uchiha just wasn't really his style. So just this once, he would ignore tradition.

His mind made up, Kakashi shushin'ed into the classroom.

"Hey kiddos. I'm Kakashi Hatake. Note! You're not genin yet. Pass my test and you will be. Fail my test and its back to the academy with you. Meet me at Training Field 17 at 7:00 tomorrow. Don't eat or you'll throw up. Caio."

With that he shushin'ed back out of the room, leaving his potential students to curse his name in disbelief. Ah good times. Messing with baby genin was always a treat.

* * *

10:00. Kakashi checked his watch, before stepping out of the tree. He landed in front of the three kids, one of which was complaining about the lack of food and his lateness, one of which was brooding silently, and one of which was drawing in the dirt with a stick. No points if you can guess which is which. At least sensei's son knew how to keep himself interested.

The three maybe-genin started at his sudden appearance. Before Pinky could complain about his lateness, Kakashi spoke.

"Your test," he said, "is to beat me. You have half an hour. Come at me with the intent to kill."

Unsurprisingly, the Uchiha recovered quickest, spewing a ball of flame at the jonin. Kakashi sidestepped it with ease and hurled a flurry of kunai at the kid. The Uchiha twisted out of the way of most of them, but the sheer quantity overwhelmed him, hammering into soft flesh. Fire jutsu were mostly pointless against him. Kakashi had spent enough time around Obito to learn how to avoid most fire jutsu. His old teammate had loved spamming them at every opportunity, and so Kakashi knew fire inside and out.

Surprisingly, Pinky was the next to attack him, throwing herself at him in a textbook academy taijutsu strike. Kakashi almost laughed. His rival was Maito Guy, one of the foremost taijutsu experts in Konoha, if not the entirety of the elemental nations. Academy taijutsu, no matter how perfect, wasn't even a challenge. He countered her knife hand strike with a Crane-Wing style Gan Jiang block before driving the breath from her lungs with a Mo Ye strike. She hit the ground and didn't get back up.

Kakashi turned to the only remaining kid. Sensei's son regarded him. "So, when you say 'intent to kill,' that means you'll be able to survive whatever I throw at you?" the kid questioned.

"Oh?" Kakashi eye-smiled at the kid. "Of course. I'm a Jonin, after all. A genin isn't going to take me down."

Sensei's son nodded. "Just making sure. I mean, it's not as if they'd assign an incompetent to…"

And then Kakashi's world exploded. The earth around him shattered and fire and smoke filled his eyes. His ears rang with a high-pitched whine. It was a good trap. Distract the target by talking and catch them off guard. Perhaps using Obito's eye would have allowed him to see it coming. But then, that would be a bit cheating, especially against not-even-genin.

Still, the trap was well made. Fire, to throw one off balance and terrify them. Smoke, to prevent vision. And noise, to cancel out detection of an attacker. Too bad Kakashi was quite used to the chaos of battle—and didn't need to see to substitute.

He disappeared from the cloud, swapping with a nearby log. He landed on a tree branch and surveyed the Training Ground. The ground where he had been standing had been torn asunder. Kakashi looked a bit to the side, and found himself staring into a pair of blue eyes. The owner grinned at Kakashi.

"Damn, you're the real thing," sensei's son chuckled. "Substitution from memory, in spite of the fire and the noise?"

Kakashi dropped from the tree. "Spot on, very good. You planted explosive tags?"

Sensei's son shrugged. "Not as such, but something else with more or less the same effect. There was poison gas mixed in, but you don't seem affected."

"Yes, well," Kakashi tapped his mask. "Enhanced to transform poisons into air. Useful."

"I'd bet." Sensei's son raised the stick he had been using to poke at the ground and leveled it at Kakashi. "Ready for round two?"

Kakashi tilted his head to the side. "Always," he commented. And then he burst into motion.

Half a second was all it took for Kakashi to cross the distance between them. Speed is armor. Speed is everything. Even without any enhancement or techniques, Kakashi had trained himself to be fast, first and foremost. It was in his nature after all. Literally, considering his lightning affinity. His fist slammed into the blond haired boy's chest. Sensei's son staggering backwards and collapsing to his knees.

"Ma…" Kakashi sighed. "Nice try. But not nice enough."

A pained smirk caused Kakashi to frown. "Hey, now. I'm not the only one here!"

Kakashi spun around just in time to deflect a volley of shuriken with a kunai. He was unable to completely block the textbook perfect Academy-style spinning side-kick. His ribs snapped under the force—and wasn't that a surprise? A little baby genin who could hit him hard enough to break his bones. More surprising that the attacks had come from two different sources, the shuriken from the Uchiha, the kick from Pinky.

Jumping back, Kakashi waved a hand over his chest. Bones re-knit, and within a second he was perfectly fine once more. He wasn't a medic, but one picked up a few tricks when one possessed the Sharingan and finely tuned chakra control. Still, he hadn't thought that the baby genin had possessed any healers. Kakashi looked over at them.

While he was distracted, Sensei's son had pulled himself to his feet. Now, the orange clad boy raised his stick in salute to Kakashi. "Media. It only heals a bit, but it's enough to keep my team on their feet. Moreso when you're not aiming to kill."

Kakashi frowned, though they couldn't see it on account of his mask. Announcing that you were a medic was a surefire way to get yourself targeted. It would be good to demonstrate that. Instead of charging in, Kakashi unleashed a hail of shuriken which closed in on sensei's son from all directions. Not enough to kill, but certainly enough to take him out of the fight.

The staff struck the ground. "God Wind Wall," sensei's son intoned. Every shuriken that Kakashi had thrown was blasted away by a mighty wall of wind. Kakashi blinked in surprise. That was on par with a low B-level jutsu. For a not-even-genin to pull it off…

He was distracted, if only for a second. Not even a second. Still, it was enough. The razor sharp edge of a dozen shuriken glinted in his vision, rocketing towards him. Kakashi grunted as he felt his ribs—what was it with her and ribs?—almost shatter as Pinky hit him once more, driving her fist into his side this time. A lesser man would have been thrown back. He just stood his ground, letting the force of the blow ripple through his body. It seemed despite his misgivings, these kids would do just fine.

Chakra surged through Kakashi's body, electrifying the air. Pinky recoiled, spasming, as charged electrons rushed through her nervous system, shocking her with a painful jolt. He ignored her twitching body and turned back towards the incoming shuriken. Before, each had been a whirling spiral of lethality. Now they hung in the air as if they weren't moving; though that was just a byproduct of how fast he was moving. In reality the shuriken were approaching just as fast as before, but now Kakashi was processing the world at a much faster rate. His reactions, already absurdly high, were now lightning fast. Literally.

As if taking a walk in the park, Kakashi weaved between the shuriken, coming to a stop in front of the Uchiha that had thrown them. A sharp blow to the Uchiha's throat sent the boy to the ground, gasping for breath. Leisurely, Kakashi turned back towards Sensei's son, crossed the gap between them, wrenched the stick from the blond boy's hands, and clubbed him upside the head with it. The lightning that had charged Kakashi's body receded and the older ninja smiled. Not that any of them could see it.

"Good job," he said. "You all pass. Congratulations. You are now officially Konoha ninja."

The sound of three bodies hitting the ground was all the response he got. Kakashi winced before looking around, rubbing his head sheepishly. His three baby genin were laid out in various states of injury. Pinky was still spasming, Sensei's son was out cold, and the Uchiha was on his knees gasping for breath. Whoops.

* * *

New story. This one is less in line with my other ones, though there definitely will be fanservice. You better believe it. But whereas the others are more crack with a helping of seriousness, this one is more seriousness with a helping of crack.

But what, you might ask, is this story? Well, in response, let me tell you a story. It's the story of a story. The story of _Uzumaki Naruto, Sorceror for hire_. An unfortunately incomplete story that seems like it will never see completion. I read that story… quite some time ago, I believe. It was fun. And it formed the inspiration for this story. The story of a Naruto who is no conjuror of cheap tricks, no child of simple pranks, no man of a jester's make.

Rather this is a Naruto who is assured in his strength. Who possesses power, and has learned to wield it. (Though he still has a ways to go, I'd reckon.) Who possesses knowledge, and all that entails. And who's also a bit of a pervert. But hey, I'm me. You can't blame me for adding a flair of the perverse to my stories, can you?

Still, it's not going to be all fun and games. People are going to hurt. Tears are going to be shed. Blood will run. The consolation? At least we'll get some boobs.

Side note, for those who care, I'm planning on uploading a chapter of Shattered Armour later today as well. Two chapters in the same day! Aren't you lucky!


	2. Introductions

Naruto groaned as he pulled himself back to consciousness. He was in his apartment. On his side table sat a card with a poorly scribbled message. 'Congrats. You passed. Training starts at 7:00 tomorrow. Winky face.'

"Astral Clock," Naruto muttered, rubbing his head. Sensei really hadn't gone halfway had he?

6:50. Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at the glowing numbers in front of him. "Oh crap! Mana, ramen, on the double!"

At his command, a roughly carved stone golem rose to its feet and moved towards the kitchen. For his part, Naruto stumbled towards his bathroom, grabbing a change of clothes as he did so.

Soon he emerged and sat down at his dining room table and began shoveling ramen into his mouth. "Thanks Mana," he said, though with a mouth full of food it was barely legible. The stone golem simply bowed, before stepping back, the runes which animated it going dim once more.

"Astral Clock," Naruto called again. 6:59. Slurping down the last of his ramen, Naruto grabbed his staff and tapped it against the ground. "Recalled Translocate." His body blurred and then faded, leaving his apartment void of any life.

* * *

His arrival at the training field caught the attention of his two fellow Genin. "Cutting it close, dobe," Sasuke muttered. Sakura fixed him with an angry look.

"Naruto! You were almost late! What would Sensei think? You'd make us all look bad!"

Shrugging, Naruto leaned against the stick he carried. "In my defense, it would have been Sensei's fault if I was late. I was out until… like, 10 minutes ago?"

Sakura glanced at him in surprise. "Eh? I mean, I know Sensei knocked you out, but how hard did he hit you?"

"Hard enough to cause a concussion," Naruto groaned, rubbing his head. "I'm just glad he tossed me back into my bed, otherwise I'd still be feeling it." Sakura considered that before nodding, while Sasuke just grunted. "By the way Sensei, do you plan on just sitting over there and watching us?" Naruto asked, nodding towards a random tree.

The masked Jonin stepped out of a tree and landed next to the blond-haired boy, one eyebrow raised. "How did you notice me? I'd suppressed my chakra."

Naruto smiled easily. "Oh, simple. I didn't sense your chakra. I just saw you."

"Saw me?" Kakashi-sensei tilted his head questioningly. "Through a minor genjutsu, dense tree foliage, and my admittedly quite masterful skill at presence concealment?"

Reaching up to his face, Naruto took hold of a pair of glasses that hadn't been there a second ago. "An interesting enchantment here. Glasses of Threat Identification. Your body may be hidden, your chakra cloaked. But your weapons stand out like a sore thumb. It's not as if kunai make a habit of floating in the air," Naruto explained.

Kakashi-sensei considered that, before sighing. "Okay. It seems I have been given an inaccurate report on your abilities. Let's remedy that. Tell me, who are you? What are your dreams, and what abilities do you possess to allow you to reach those dreams?"

Sakura spoke up first. "My name is Sakura Haruno. My dream is to protect Sasuke to the best of my ability. As a civilian, I possess no bloodline, no clan, no secret techniques. So, to best help Sasuke, I have focused on on the basics. If it is an academy discipline that does not require large chakra reserves, I am the best at it among my peers. If it is common knowledge, I know it."

"A bold claim," Kakashi-sensei noted. "Perhaps too bold. I'll have to test you to make sure, as you understand." The man paused for a second. "But from what I've seen, you may be telling the truth. Uchiha?"

"Hmph." Sasuke grunted, shifting forwards slightly. "Sasuke Uchiha. My dream is peace, but my goal is revenge. Competent in some Fire-jutsu, second only to Sakura in shuriken, the most physically skilled in Taijutsu among my peers."

Kakashi-sensei tilted his head. "I had thought that Sakura-chan had said she was the most skilled."

Sasuke grunted again. "In technique. Physically inferior. On even ground, no chance for me."

"For an Uchiha to admit failing, Sakura-chan, you must be skilled indeed," Kakashi-sensei complimented the girl. Already blushing at Sasuke's words, she glanced at the ground, steam almost pouring from her ears at the praise.

Naruto smirked. Those two were always adorable to watch. Apparently his movement drew Kakashi-sensei's attention to him, and the man gestured towards him.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto shouted, before taking a deep breath and continuing. "My dream is knowledge. The knowledge that all men seek! The purest form of truth! That which lies forever hidden, and is all the more tempting! That's right, I seek one thing! To be able to, at a glance, identify the three sizes of women, and accurately predict what kind of underwear they're wearing, from colour to pattern to fabric type! Believe it!"

So he declared without a hint of shame. Kakashi-sensei blinked. Apparently even a jonin could be taken off-guard. The man glanced at Sasuke and Sakura to see what they had to say in response. Sasuke just shook his head tiredly and grunted, having heard Naruto's spiel too many times to count. Sakura childishly stuck her tongue out at Naruto.

"Pervert!" she rebuked. "You're too brazen, Naruto!"

A lazy smile was her response. "Suspecting that this might come up, you decided to wear an non-typical pair of panties. You, of course, require no bra. The panties are lightish purple, a colour you both like and dislike in equal parts. No pattern, cotton, bikini-cut. Am I wrong?"

Sakura had grown progressively redder as he spoke. Now, with a shout of embarrassed anger she hurled herself at Naruto who only barely managed to redirect the blow with his staff. Slowly the blond backed up, dodging and deflecting the strikes that came his way.

As Sakura launched a roundhouse kick at his head, he slipped past her, his staff flicking out. "Teleport Excerpt," he whispered as he did so. At the touch of his staff, the spats she wore beneath her dress vanished.

Though Sakura immediately jumped backwards and yanked at the skirt of her dress so that it concealed her panties, everyone present had seen that Naruto's prediction had been spot on. Sakura knew it, and glared angrily at Naruto. A flicker of steel was sent darting towards him.

It never reached its target, intercepted by a shuriken. Both Naruto and Sakura's heads snapped towards the thrower. Sasuke lowered his arm and met Sakura's gaze. "Sakura. Dobe is distracting you. Don't let him."

The girl flushed at the rebuke. "S-sorry, Sasuke."

Sasuke grunted in response. Kakashi-sensei nodded towards her. "Ma, ma, don't feel too bad Sakura-chan. It's understandable that you would become caught up in youthful—I mean childish—antics." The masked jonin coughed, muttering something about spending too much time around some guy. "But Naruto-kun? Please do not use your teammates as a distraction just because you don't wish to talk about the power that you're using."

Naruto winced. "Saw through that, did you?"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke spoke up. "Dobe, anyone with half a brain would notice."

"Well now," Naruto said, "that's rude to Sakura."

"No." Sasuke grunted back. "Goaded her into attacking you. Knew her reaction; how to elicit that reaction. Planned in advance, played off of her personality. Typical. Evaded, distracted. Never a straight answer, only an outrageous one. Charmer's smile, words with all the substance of a charlatan."

With a chuckle, Naruto cast an amused look at Sasuke. "Wow. You've got my number. That the number two student was keeping such close tabs on the last place student; should I be flattered?"

"Now you seek to distract me. Won't work. I kept tabs on all my classmates. It's why I'm the best. Sakura knows her books, I know people." Sasuke gestured towards Naruto. "I know your habits. But the why remains an enigma. Kakashi-sensei, what do you know about him?"

Kakashi-sensei coughed. "Naruto Uzumaki. Ranked 31st among his classmates, poor showing in physical disciplines. Extreme skill with the Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, and Clone Jutsu. Poor showing in academic disciplines. Instructor notes: Disruptive. Though skilled in the Transformation Jutsu, uses it primarily for juvenile means. Is to be watched at all times, particularly concerning interactions with female students or teachers." Sighing, the man scratched his head. "Doesn't say anything about an ability to heal, use B-ranked Jutsu, skill with traps, creation of tools, or accurate prediction of other people's actions."

Kakashi-sensei glanced at Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke grunted. "Insight into others actions has been observed prior. Other abilities shown within the past day are new."

"Though Naruto is quite poor academically, he is by no means stupid," Sakura added. "An idiot perhaps, but not stupid. He understands the source material, but chooses to ignore it."

Chuckling, Naruto cast an amused glance at his team. "Seriously, I've been trying to keep a low profile. Guess it didn't work too well, to have you two so interested in me."

"No. Worked quite well," Sasuke muttered. "Low profile—fellow classmates dismiss you as irrelevant. Most dislike you based on some preconceived notion—unsure of what. Exceptions, Shikamaru, Choji, and Hinata. Shikamaru pays attention to everything. Choji dislikes you because of your love of ramen, a food he considers inferior to udon. Hinata. Unsure. Shy personality, repressed emotions. Cannot build a full model of her."

Sakura sighed. "The teachers dismiss you because of your antics. Iruka-sensei is too lenient towards you, while most of the others actively dislike you. Your skill at ninjutsu is considered a fluke, while your failure in other disciplines is considered expected. You are spoken of dismissively if you are spoken of at all."

"Well that makes me feel better," Naruto said, tapping his staff against the ground. "Still, I suppose now that I'm on a team there's no real reason to keep it a secret. Okay, you want to know how I do what I do?"

All three of the others nodded, Sakura bobbing her head rapidly, Sasuke jerking his head in a sharp nod, while Kakashi-sensei nodded calmly.

"Why, magic," Naruto answered cheerily. The other three looked at him skeptically.

"Magic? Naruto, there's no such thing as magic, no matter how many street vendors claim that what they do is such. The masses might believe in magic, but a ninja should know the truth." Sakura scoffed.

Kakashi-sensei was in agreement, his visible eye narrowing. "Naruto," the man reprimanded. "As you said, you're on a team. There is no reason to lie about your capabilities."

"No. Not lying." Sasuke's words drew the attention of both Sakura and Kakashi. "Truth, or at least what he believes. Delusional?"

Sighing, Naruto looked around the group. "None of you? Fine, I'll show you." The smile left his face, replaced with a cold and distant gaze. "Try not to go mad."

Naruto tapped his staff against the ground. And their world shattered.

* * *

Meant to have this out yesterday. Co-worker called in sick. Had to sub in. Life, you know? Anyways, bit of a cliff hanger. Next chapter should be out soon. Wednesday or something? Eh.

Right, I also noticed something. In the first chapter I had Kakashi introduce himself as Hatake Kakashi. I've gone back and fixed that, but from now on all names will be westernized. First Name-Last Name. Easier you know?

Cheers.


	3. Knowledge

Colours filled spiraled passed them in a kaleidoscope of dancing rings that twisted and convoluted, turning upon themselves. They were falling, falling, falling, up, up, up. They gasped in shock as they gazed down upon the world below them, Konoha growing further and further away.

Then Sakura screamed as a hand grasped her ankle. It was followed by another, and another, and another. A tidal wave of grasping hands dragged them into unreality. Just as quickly as the hands came, they were gone, replaced by a great ocean. They fell into it, speeding down and down and down. A great monolith rose from the sea floor. Twisted walls that curved in impossible ways, spires that reached in all directions and yet only in one, windows that gleamed with the blackest light, brighter than a thousand suns.

The sea turned to flames, and they found themselves striding across molten liquid. Kakashi pulled his mask down, revealing a spinning eye dyed red. He blinked, then stumbled. "This is… the sun?"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder and nodded, before tapping the ball of fire upon which they stood with his staff. It opened up beneath them, swallowing them whole. As they fell into the opening maw, their bodies began to dissolve, melting away as they grew closer to the center. Sakura screamed as she melted into little more than liquid goop. Kakashi and Sasuke remained silent as they too became unmade.

Then they were whole once more. Sakura opened her eyes, and a thousand eyes stared back. Eyes, upon eyes, upon eyes. Next to her, Kakashi slammed his sharingan eye shut, blood trickling from the corner. The eyes breathed in, and exhaled, and they found themselves tearing through space once more. Light became darkness. A cool, comfortable darkness. Until a piercing beam of light illuminated the world, cutting through the calm shadows and carving a path to their souls.

The light pulled them towards it, slowly, then faster, faster, faster, fast. A maw opened to consume them. Jagged teeth, each one a swirling mass of the end of existence, closed about them.

Then they were falling once more, falling through the rings of kaleidoscopic colours once more. Each one of them was breathing hard, save for Naruto. The boy simply spread his arms wide.

"Did you have fun passing through Existence itself?" Naruto gestured around them with his staff. "Well, regardless, welcome to the Root of All Things. All knowledge, past, present, and future, resides here. Look, but do not touch. Unless you happen to possess a mass of living chakra, touching it will unmake you."

Kakashi started at what Naruto said, though so slightly that only Naruto noticed.

"What is this place, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked, coughing and trembling.

"You asked where I got my power from. Here it is." Naruto's hand passed near the stream of light. A speck of icy blue light lept from the rings, landing in Naruto's palm. "This is the concept of snow. No, more specifically, it's the concept of a new snowfall on the eve of New Year's. Watch."

Raising his hand, Naruto threw the speck upwards. It dissolved into nothingness, but as it did so, in shone brightly. In response, snowflakes began to fall. The crystalline things glistened as they fell toward those below. Sakura reached out and touched one, starting when she felt a rush of calm, of hope, and of happiness. The fatigue that had infused her body was washed away.

"This is…" Sakura trembled as more snowflakes landed on her, suffusing her with a wave of good will.

Naruto shrugged. "I can use the concepts of reality. Bend them to my will. What you are feeling right now is a crystallization of everything good about the New Year. Hope for a better future, love for your fellow man, all that."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What else?"

With a raised eyebrow, Naruto stretched out his hand once more. This time, a red and brown spark shot out, dancing in his fingertips. Rather than throwing this one, Naruto clenched his fist. A blade of blazing flames erupted forth, and a shield of black stone formed around his other arm. "A conceptualization of a volcano. It's flames, mighty, but directed, and the rocks that form in the passing," he explained.

"Impressive," Kakashi noted. "What can't you do?"

"Nothing." And their doubtful looks, Naruto shrugged. "This is reality that you stand in. All worlds and all times. Everything. No, the question isn't what can't I do, but what can't I survive. The answer to that is short, but I can't look too far into the future—a few moments at most. Nor can I look to far into the past. Within the present… it depends on the strength of what I'm looking at. The stronger the power, the more draining for me. So, for instance…" Naruto swept his hand forwards. The world shifted, and suddenly they stood amongst the woman's bathhouses in Konoha. Sakura slapped Naruto on the head.

"Pervert!" she rebuked. Naruto shrugged. The bathhouse dissolved and once more they were standing amongst the rings and light.

"I am what I am." He waved his hand once more. This time, they stood amidst an office. Two ninja stood there, each one a Chunin. And seated behind the desk, a jagged and distorted figure stood. A second later, the world around them dissolved into dust, torn apart on a molecular level.

Kakashi sighed. "Was that the Tsuchikage?"

Naruto smirked cheekily. "Yeah. But to answer your next question, no my power is not effective for information gathering. The scene falling apart was not on my end. Rather, the presence of the Tsuchikage unmade my power. It's the same with all other great Hidden Villages. You have perhaps a second in their presence within my power, and I can only project my sight into the presence of such power once a week. So, ineffective for spying. If you're planning an assassination, I suppose I could tell you what the room look like, or where he is, or that kind of thing, but it's not to useful. Unless you'd like to spy on the Land of Grass or something."

At that, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Aware of what the Land of Grass is doing. Nothing of matter."

"Rude, if true." Naruto shrugged. "Any more questions?"

Sakura nodded. "Is there a limit on the amount of power you can use?"

Naruto considered that. "It depends. I draw on concepts, so the closer I am to the concept, the easier it is to make real. A tidal wave in Kiri is easy, a tidal wave in Suna much harder. The scale also matters quite a bit. I can probably call forth gouts of fire and daggers of ice all day, but something on the scale of actual injuring a Jonin like you, Kakashi-sensei, would exhaust me for quite a while. Beyond that, the biggest issue is speed. The weaker the power, the faster I can manifest it. So, calling up a gust of wind might take half a second, while calling forth a hurricane would take a dozen seconds. It's why you managed to beat me, Kakashi-sensei. You're far too fast. Any more questions?"

They considered that. Sasuke finally fixed Naruto with a look. "Power is bullshit."

The rings that spun about them fell away, and they found themselves standing in the real world once more. Naruto just shrugged at Sasuke's words. "I mean, probably. But we're ninja. What do we do that isn't bullshit? By the way, watch your tongue or I'll chuck you into an unfriendly world."

"Eh?" Sakura blinked. "Those were friendly worlds? You call being turned into liquid friendly?"

"More… benign?" Naruto gave a shrug. "Uncaring of you at least. Not actively seeking to unmake you. There are much less tolerant places here. It's why I stick to this realm. I call it the Root of All Things, for it is here that all the concepts of Earth reside. Fear of ghosts, love for your child, the might of the sea, the will of the Land of Iron. That kind of stuff. Understandable to humans."

Kakashi nodded at that, rubbing his chin. "Ma, ma. Well, I've got to go. Talk to the Hokage and what not. You three… do whatever. I'll find you a mission to do tomorrow. For today, I'll have to get your files updated."

"Eh?" Sakura looked at him. "Aren't you going to even train us?"

The masked Jonin gave her a searching look before shaking his head. "You can hardly even stand right now."

"What? I feel…" In a rush, the energy that had been infusing her poured out of her body and Sakura dropped like a sack of potatoes, Sasuke following after. Naruto stumbled, just barely catching himself with his staff.

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, actually travelling to that world, even if it isn't your physical body, is very draining on the soul. The snowflakes from before gave you some vitality back, but they just ran out."

Shaking his head, Kakashi sighed. "You weren't lying, what you do really is magic."

Sakura spoke up from where she lay. "Always thought that people talking about magic were just mistaken after seeing a ninja, but maybe they saw an actual magician, like you."

Naruto shrugged. "The vast majority probably are just mistaken, but there's probably been a handful of people like me that can tap into this powersource. Through the course of history, I don't doubt it. Most likely none to the degree I can though."

"No, probably not." Kakashi turned away. "Meet me at the Hokage's Tower at 0700 tomorrow morning for your first mission."

Groaning, his baby genin climbed to their feet and stumbled towards their homes, save for Naruto who drew a circle with his staff and stepped through. Kakashi watched as the hole in reality closed, before Shunshining away.

* * *

Blarg. Mostly exposition in this chapter. That's why it's taken so damn long. I hate exposition like this. Rewrote it a dozen times or something. Not my thing at all. Well, whatever. Now that everyone knows how Naruto does what he does, I won't be doing that ever again. Next chapter, actually interesting things happen. D-ranked missions are a go. And yes, the thrown through other dimensions thing is inspired by, Dr. Strange though the worlds are a bit different. (Except the hands, because I like the hands.)


End file.
